Chapter Seventy Seven
...
"How are you doing, Ry?" Connor asked, looking over.
"I hate bras so much. They're the worst thing mankind has ever invented," Ry groaned, shifting and trying to get comfortable without success.
Connor hid a grin, knowing that there was no point in arguing. "Well, how about we stop before we reach Maxville? You can stretch and put your binder on instead. You'll be okay sitting for a shorter period of time, yeah?"
"Yes! I love you."
"I know. Love you too, son."
Ry grinned at his father, then leaned to check the speedometer. "We'd get there faster if you were actually driving the speed limit, y'know."
Connor grinned, glanced in the rear-view mirror, then slowed down until the car was practically crawling.
"I'll jump out of the car, Papa. You know I will," Ry threatened.
Connor locked the doors, just in case. He was going to respond, but frowned on seeing a crowd of parked cars further up the road. "What's going on here?"
Ry frowned and moved on his seat, trying to read the sign up ahead. "The Hive. Local flowers, honey, gifts, art. Opening weekend. Want to go inside?"
"What's the time?"
Ry checked his phone. "Almost midday."
"We're meant to be meeting Hourglass at two, so we've got enough time to check it out if you want. Just check the map thing first."
"Map thing," Ry echoed, rolling his eyes. "It's fifteen minutes to the pharmaceutical place."
"Okay. Want to check it out? They might have a bathroom for you to change in," Connor added.
"Oh, yes! Open the door already, Papa."
"Let me park first," Connor said, turning into the parking lot ahead as he saw someone leaving. "Lucky they left, this place is packed."
"I just hope they have a bathroom and food. I could eat three hotdogs," Ry muttered, turning in his seat to grab his bag from the back.
"Three? I'd like to see you try, son. Besides, I doubt this place has 'dogs. Maybe salad."
Ry snorted. "Yeah, probably. Let me out? Please, Papa?" he added at Connor's raised eyebrow.
Connor unlocked the door and watched as Ry practically jumped out of the car and ran down the path. Getting out and locking the car, Connor followed his son to the Hive.
...
"Some woman just scratched me to pieces to get a hydrangea," Craig hissed at Layla as he went behind the staff counter.
"Thank you for your business. Have a nice day," Layla said pleasantly to a customer, waiting until they'd left before looking to Craig. She winced at the bloodied marks on his arm. "There's a first aid kit in the kitchen. I'll get Warren in to help you. Just..."
"Protect him from the lusting population? Sure thing," Craig said with a snicker.
Warren had started off the morning helping Layla in the Hive, but then a few too many people had started hitting on him. Warren had all-but run out to the beehives as soon as Craig arrived for his shift.
"Jewel will be here soon. Why don't you rest for a bit? Or start on the salad. There should be enough vegetables in the garden," Layla added.
"Thanks. Let me know when Jewel's here?" Craig asked.
Layla nodded distractedly as another customer came to the counter. Pressing on her brand slightly, she called to Warren to come back inside. She felt his reluctance and wariness in response, and tried to add a small sense of urgency. The scratches on Craig probably weren't deep, but it was a big deal for a citizen to take off their glove just to get a hydrangea.
"Hi, do you have a bathroom?"
"Just down the hall, the door on the left," Layla said, smiling.
"Great, thanks."
Layla was kept busy answering customer question about ingredients in the cookies, ingredients in the honey, and was only vaguely aware of the fight that broke out between three women over the hydrangeas. A loud screech had her looking over, excusing herself from the questioning customers, and hurrying over to try to put a stop to the fight.
Several people left the Hive, glaring over at the screeching women and muttering under their breath as they did so.
"Ladies, please calm down!" Layla said.
They ignored her and a few more customers left, others only moving so far as the doorway to watch the fight continue.
"Is there a problem here?" a man asked, arms folded across his chest.
"She stole my hydrangea!" one woman snapped, glaring.
The other two women glared back, then did a double-take at the presence of the man, blinking wordlessly at his solid bulk, muscles, silver hair, and green eyes.
Layla heard Jewel at the Hive's entrance, telling people to get out of her way. She glanced to the man who had interrupted, then looked to the three women. One woman was still holding the hydrangea like her life depended on it. "Unfortunately, that's the last of the hydrangeas, so you'll have to come back when the next batch mature in two years," Layla said firmly.
She could have grown more in an instant, but Layla didn't want to reward any of these women for their selfish and childish behaviour.
"Two years?! But I wanted them as presents for everyone in my family! I have twenty family members to get presents for!" one of the women protested.
"This is why they're exclusive plants, sweetheart," Jewel said from the doorway, rolling her eyes. "If you really want more, use a cutting from the hydrangea and grow it yourself."
The woman's eyes narrowed at Jewel's tone, but she didn't let go of the potted plant. "Fine. I'm buying this now," she stated, pushing past the other two women to get to the counter.
Layla didn't want to deal with any of the women right now, and she looked between the three of them. "We're just doing a shift change. Won't be a moment," she said, heading to the doorway and guiding Jewel back to the kitchen where Craig, Warren, and Honey were.
"When you said they'd be a hit, I didn't think you meant literally," Warren said to Honey.
She grinned. "Well, they're both a hit and a success. Ah, good. Give them a minute longer; they can stew for a while," Honey said to Layla.
She nodded in response, filling a glass of water and hoping to ease her throat. From where she was standing, Layla could see the citizens that had remained behind were now starting to leave, no longer entertained by the arguing women.
"Which one hurt you, babe?" Jewel asked, seeing the scratches on Craig's arm.
"Emotionally? All of them," Craig replied, rolling his eyes. "Shit, that stings," he hissed as Warren dabbed antiseptic on his arm.
"You can't turn them all to stone, Jewel. Even if they'd make a nice garden decoration," Layla muttered, drinking the last of her water in a large gulp.
A snort of amusement came from outside of the kitchen, Warren glaring over at the doorway.
A young man stood there, looking amused. He held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Hey, I was just leaving the bathroom. You might want to put in a door or something," he suggested with a grin.
"Ry, what are you doing? Uh, excuse me? Those women are fighting over the cookies now," the silver-haired man said with a slight frown. "There were samples at the front counter, but only two packets left."
Honey laughed delightedly. "Thank you, Connor. I know exactly what to do," she said with a wink, standing and slipping past the two stunned men.
"How'd she know your name? Do you know her?" Ry asked softly, looking up to his father.
Connor shook his head.
"I'm not missing this," Craig said with a grin, grabbing Jewel's hand and following Honey to the front room.
Layla and Warren followed as well, Connor and Ry curiously following after them.
Honey took the two packets of cookies and grabbed the potted hydrangea out of the woman's hands, setting everything behind the counter and ignoring the women's screeches of outrage. She waited for a moment, their protests becoming a cacophony of noise, then something in the room shifted. Suddenly, there were three Honey's standing before the counter, each one with their hand wrapped around a woman's mouth to silence them. They all paled in surprise and fear. A second later, the other three Honey's disappeared, and she smiled at them briefly.
"We have the right to refuse service to rude and childish individuals. Leave before I throw you out," Honey snapped.
Shaking and stunned, the three women practically ran out of the Hive. Apart from Connor and Ry, no customers remained, and Layla almost sagged in relief.
"What the hell was that, Honey?" Craig asked, his eyes wide.
Honey's hands shook as she sat down, breathing slowly. "Alternative futures. Or presents, realities, whichever you prefer. I haven't done it in a very long time."
Layla hurried over, her hand warm on Honey's shoulder. "What do you need?"
"This is enough," Honey replied. She breathed purposely for a few more seconds, her heart rate returning to its regular rhythm. Honey squeezed Layla's hand gently in thanks and stood up, much steadier than she had been a minute ago. "Sorry about the confusion, Connor and Ry. My name's Honey. You know me as Hourglass."
Connor and Ry both took a moment to digest this information. Connor looked from Honey to the rest of the gathered group and then back again. When he'd first heard of Hourglass, he'd expected her to be a wizened old woman with crystal ball, some sort of theatrics involved. Instead, she looked normal.
"What if we hadn't stopped here?" Connor asked.
"You would have continued on, found somewhere to eat lunch, and made the job interview by two o'clock," Honey replied simply, shrugging.
"Why were you here then, instead of at the company?" Ry asked curiously.
Honey smiled at this. "I made two promises last week: one was to help here at the Hive on its opening weekend, and the second was to give Ollie as much time as possible to finish practising today's presentation. The poor dear gets very nervous when public speaking is involved. Or speaking of any kind, really. Be gentle, will you?"
"Uh. Okay? Who's Ollie?" Ry asked.
"One of the researchers at the company. Brilliant when it comes to science, but... Well, you'll see for yourselves. In fact, we should probably leave now. There's a place that does hotdogs and they have the best fries in Maxville," Honey added with a bright smile.
Connor felt somewhat overwhelmed by Hourglass and wasn't entirely sure what to say. Beside him, Ry nodded eagerly at the idea of food.
"I think we might close early. Jewel, would you mind getting the door before anyone else tries to come in?" Layla asked, picking up the hydrangea and cookie packets. "Here you go. As a thank you for stopping the fight," she added, offering them to Connor with a smile.
"Oh, it was no problem. Thank you."
"Thanks," Ry said, grabbing the cookies and opening a packet immediately.
"You'll spoil your lunch," Connor said.
Ry shook his head, his cheeks bulging.
"Plants can't be taken interstate," Honey reminded Layla.
"Oh, I forgot. Sorry," Layla said. "Would you like something else then?" she asked, looking to the rest of the store. Not much remained, but there were a few artworks that hadn't sold.
"No, it's all right. The cookies will be enough. Ry, stop eating them," Connor added with a sigh, taking the remaining packet and a half from his son.
Ry swallowed his mouthful and grinned. "I'll fight you for them."
Connor rolled his eyes.
"I'll look after the hydrangea, if you like?" Honey offered.
"You did this to get a hydrangea for yourself, didn't you?" Warren asked, shaking his head.
Honey laughed. "Of course not. Come on, we'd better leave before they run out of sauerkraut."
Jewel grinned at Connor and Ry, recognising their stunned expressions well. "Just go with it," she said with a wink.
"Hotdogs, Papa. C'mon," Ry said, grabbing his hand.
Connor squeezed Ry's hand gently and with a brief farewell, they followed Honey back to the parking lot.
"Craig, you're bleeding all over the place; let Warren finish fixing your arm up," Layla said.
"Ah, shit," Craig said, wincing at the trail of blood on his arm.
"C'mon, before you stain the floor," Warren said, leading him back to the kitchen.
"Ethan and Zach will be here soon; they've promised to help count today's income."
"Is closing early all right?" Jewel asked, even though she didn't mind.
"Yes, it's fine. The sign states we're open until the products sell out. We've sold out," Layla said firmly, steadfastly ignoring the few remaining products still on the shelves.
Jewel laughed. "Sounds good to me. Let's get the money out and sorted."
Layla grinned and headed to the counter.
...
Frieda checked the address on her phone, looking out to the house to ensure she had the right place. When she was certain, Frieda parked her car, turned off the ignition, and looked to her passenger with a smile. "Ready, dear?" she asked.
"Ready, Frieda."
With that done, she headed down the driveway and to the front door, pressing the doorbell button. A chime rang out pleasantly.
"Just a minute!"
The door opened a moment later and Frieda smiled at the man from the chess match briefly. "Good morning. Is your mother home?"
"Uh, no. Who're you?"
"A friend of your mother's; we met at bingo. My grandson and I were in the neighbourhood and I thought we'd stop by. Do you mind if we wait for her?" Frieda asked, already stepping inside without waiting for an answer.
The man frowned and stammered something out uselessly, Frieda already heading through the house to the lounge room.
Donny followed Frieda inside, closed the door behind him, and pressed his hand against the man's forehead.
...
"Hello, Ollie. Are you ready?" Honey asked, smiling warmly.
"No. Not at all."
"It's all right; we can do the tour first. You'll have another, hmm, twenty minutes," Honey said.
"Yes. Please."
"Not a problem, sweetie. This way, Mr. Kemp, young Mr. Kemp," Honey said, winking and leading them past Ollie without introduction.
Ry glanced at Ollie as he passed by and smiled encouragingly when Ollie caught his eye.
"Now, the most important feature: the staff vending machines. They're reasonably priced and always well-stocked," Honey said, grinning.
If Ry hadn't eaten two hotdogs - with toppings - he would've bought several things on seeing the prices. He could always stock up for the trip home.
"It's the weekend, so there's only a few people actually here at the moment, but the pharmaceutical company currently employs 7,500 people. I'm hoping for more than 10,000 by 2010," Honey started off the tour, continuing through the building for a whirlwind tour.
"You're expecting that many people to become pharmacists in the next four years?" Connor asked, frowning.
"Three and a half, technically. For the most part, no, but there are plenty of unemployed pharmacists in other states. They could be persuaded to move here," Honey said, shrugging.
"Persuaded?" Ry echoed curiously.
"Better pay, cheap rent, more opportunities for advancement, recognition for their work, grant and funded money for research, professional development, that sort of thing," Honey said.
"How are you planning on offering all of that? Persuasion only works if the reward is greater than the risk," Connor pointed out.
"I'm working on it," she replied with a smile, then continued with the tour.
They ended up at Ollie's office once more, Ry trying to peer through the reflective windows curiously. Honey smiled as she knocked on the door.
Ollie opened it, several pens stuck in her blonde hair, and looking slightly calmer than before. "Ready."
"That's great, thanks, Ollie. Breathe, sweetie," Honey added, squeezing her shoulder gently.
Ollie inhaled and exhaled, then nodded. "Okay. Hi, I'm Ollie," she said, extending a gloved hand and shaking Connor and Ry's hands. Waiting until they'd sat down next to Honey, Ollie pressed a button on a remote, the wall behind her showing two photos. "This is me before and after the T-800 injection. I tried the citizen's Hormone Replacement Therapy first. It was a mess," Ollie said, wincing.
"Understatement of the year," Honey said with a grin.
"Wait, you're a super?" Ry asked in surprise.
Ollie nodded. "Spatial manipulation. When I was on HRT, I kept moving people's lunches out of the staff fridge."
"You moved your whole house in your sleep, Ollie," Honey said, her eyebrow raised.
Ollie blushed. "Yes. That happened, too."
"Holy shit, can I see?" Ry asked eagerly.
"Ryuu, calm down. Ollie may not be comfortable demonstrating her power to strangers," Connor said firmly.
Ry winced. "Right, sorry, Ollie."
She seemed relieved and nodded.
"You said 'injection' not injections; you only needed one?" Connor asked, confused. Ry's current injections were still ongoing.
"One injection every six months for two years. It does result in a faster second puberty, but no one's complained about that so far.
"Honey hired me to work on the T-800 drug. I volunteered to be the first test subject; people's lunches are safe again," Ollie added with a shy smile.
Ollie moved to the next slide on her presentation, showing more volunteers and their transitions. She then continued on with technical talk detailing the tests that had been run on herself and the other volunteers to compare their developed T-800 to the citizen's HRT.
When Honey saw that Connor and Ry's eyes were starting to glaze with the overwhelming amount of information, she nodded for Ollie to stop. Ollie stopped mid-way through her sentence, blushing and concentrating on her breathing again.
"All right. Do you have any questions?" Honey asked.
Connor looked to Ry, who fidgeted on his seat slightly. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked.
Ry shook his head quickly. "No, Papa. It's just... why me?" he asked Honey.
Honey smiled, gentle and warm. "I don't like to see people sick for no reason; pharmaceuticals are meant to make people better, not worse. Or poor, for that matter. When this goes through the final tests for accreditation, it will be the cheapest transition drug for supers on the market.
"Ollie's also had some wonderful ideas for the citizen HRT, but as we don't own the patent it will have to be an alternative instead, which means twice as much testing and accreditation checks to be approved."
"We can test it now, if you've eaten?" Ollie suggested.
Ry blinked, looking between Ollie and his father. "I... don't know. It's kind of a lot to deal with right now?"
Ollie nodded. "Okay."
"Do you mind if we discuss the job now, Mr. Kemp?" Honey asked.
"You'll be okay?" Connor asked Ry.
He nodded. "I'll be fine, Papa."
"All right," Connor replied, standing and following Honey to her office.
Ollie looked between the door and Ry. "Want to see my work?" she offered hesitantly.
"Yeah, all right."
...
"A man has voluntarily turned himself into police after providing information about an anti-super group who were planning to attack Jetstream and the Commander. The presence of the group has stunned and surprised police, who were unaware of their existence before today, and steps have been taken to ensure the anti-supers involved are no longer a threat to Maxville or the world's most beloved superheroes."
Adam frowned at the image of the man on the TV screen, recognising him as the man who'd insulted Anita at the chess match. Remembering Frieda's fierce expression when she asked for the man's address, Adam had no doubt that she'd had some hand in him "voluntarily" turning himself in to the police.
"In celebrity news, Jetstream and the Commander went to the opening premiere of The Commander and Jetstream vs. King Kamehamayhem. It was noted by several reporters that Jetstream wasn't wearing the pearl earrings that Queen Kamehamayhem had gifted to her, though Jetstream didn't seem to have a good reason for not wearing them. Close friends of Queen Kamehamayhem report that she is very upset at Jetstream's snub."
Adam snorted and changed the channel so he could play a video game. "Ready to get your ass kicked, Read?"
Grant grinned back at him. "Only if you are, Spattle."
Craig rolled his eyes at both of them. "You two geeks have fun with your game. I'm gonna raid your kitchen, dude."
"Pa only just went shopping; don't eat everything," Adam said.
"I brought those sweet chilli chips you like; they're in my bag," Grant said, tilting his head back to look up at Craig.
"Yes! You're the best," Craig said, kissing him before finding the chips, opening the packet and immediately eating a large handful.
Grant grinned and turned his attention back to the game where Adam was choosing his player. He selected his player and the room fell to silence, except for the sound of Craig chewing behind them.
"How'd your thing with the Mad Scientist go?" Craig asked, setting the empty packet of chips aside and resting his chin on Grant's head.
"Good. He's impressed with my progress," Grant replied distractedly, pressing buttons and moving the controller as his player moved.
"You still get extra credit for uni, yeah?"
"Yeah. The Mad Scientist is writing to the Science coordinator so I can apply for prior knowledge. I won't have to do four units if they agree, so I'll be able to graduate six months early," Grant said.
Adam knocked Grant's character out, sitting back with a smile of triumph. "You could just talk to Anita, y'know."
"About what?" Grant asked.
"Your degree. She teaches Data Science at the University of Maxville," Adam added when Grant just looked confused.
"I didn't know that," Craig said. "I always thought she was just Ethan's mum, y'know. Wait, does Richard have a job?"
Adam sighed and shook his head. "Seriously, dude?"
"I swear I've only ever heard him talk about model trains!"
"Richard's the Accounting lecturer at UM," Adam replied.
"Huh. That explains so much about Ethan, honestly," Grant murmured.
Adam laughed. "Yeah. Ready for round two?" he asked, nodding to the screen.
"Yeah. Can you text Jewel to double-check when she finishes work, babe? I don't want to keep her waiting," Grant said, pressing a kiss to Craig's knee before turning his attention to the game again.
"'Kay."
...
Connor sighed, rubbing his temples at the mess that was strewn throughout the laboratory workspace. Chip packets had apparently been the victim of Ollie's power, most likely encouraged by his son. "Sorry about this, Honey."
"Oh, it's all right. I've got several super-cleaners on staff; this isn't the worst they've seen," Honey said with a smile.
"Ryuu, you're cleaning this up. Don't give me that look, I know you convinced Ollie to do this."
"Well, yeah, but - "
"No buts."
Ry sighed at his father's stern expression, his shoulders drooping. "All right. Sorry, Papa."
Two brooms suddenly appeared with a flash of purple light, Ollie grabbing the handles and double-checking that they were all right. She handed one to Ry and grinned. "Bet I'll clean more than you."
Ry straightened up and grinned. "You're on."
Honey laughed and led Connor back out to the hallway so they wouldn't be knocked over by the brooms. "I'll get you that list of rental properties. Daisy's set aside the whole day tomorrow for you, so just tell her which ones you do or don't want to look at."
Connor looked from Ry, who was practically running up and down between the workstations to beat Ollie on the other side of the room, then shook his head with a fond smile and followed Honey back to her office.
...
"Forge, you've got a visitor."
Surprised at the announcement, Mr. Forge followed the guard to the visitor's area. His surprise only increased when he saw Cara sitting at a table, waiting for him.
"Hi, Daddy," she said, smiling briefly. "Are you okay? They're treating you right, aren't they?" Cara asked, frowning.
Mr. Forge's eyes narrowed as he sat across from his daughter. "I heard you were in prison."
Cara huffed in annoyance. "They couldn't keep me locked up forever. I just said a few anti-super things about Airhorn, it wasn't like I tried to kill him," she said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I was bailed out. Greta Auden, Frieda's ex-friend, paid for my bail," she added in explanation when he raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Greta might be using you to get back at Frieda. If there's one thing I know about that woman, it's that she can hold a grudge," Mr. Forge said.
"I know, I'm being careful, Daddy. I drugged her coffee and came here as soon as I could," Cara said.
"That's my girl. Have you tried to get the twins back yet?" he asked.
Cara shook her head. "There's a super restraining on them, so I can't get close enough."
Mr. Forge looked at Cara silently for a long moment. "Do you remember what I said to you during your summer internship at the company?"
"Of course I do, Daddy. It's not a crime if you don't get caught," she said, a little wryly with the obvious irony of the phrase.
Certain that the person across from him really was his daughter and not an imposter, Mr. Forge relaxed. "Do you remember that holiday we took when you were ten?" he asked.
"Uh, yes," Cara said, frowning at the non-sequitur. "We went to Singapore, Craig was a baby so he couldn't fly and he stayed home with Mum. You took me to the aquarium and... the bank," she said, her eyes widening. "Did you make a deposit?" Cara asked quietly, trying so very hard not to glance up to the camera or over to the guard.
"A significant one. Enough to bail me out, get your sons back, and get your brother to super conversion therapy," Mr. Forge added.
Cara tried hard to contain her excitement. "How do I get it, Daddy?"
Mr. Forge took a notepad and pencil from his jumpsuit pocket and wrote down a PIN number. "You know where my safety deposit box is; there's an ATM card and the rest of the bank details there. Withdraw as much as you can to offset the fees and we'll get the rest together," he said, tearing out the piece of paper and handing it to her.
Cara smiled. "You'll be out of here before you know it."
"That's my girl."
"Time's up, Forge," the guard called.
"See you soon, Cara," Mr. Forge said before following the guard out, confident in the fact that he wouldn't be in prison for much longer.
Cara left through the visitor's entrance, the slip of paper in her pocket. Heading to the front entrance, she continued down the road and around the corner. When she was sure no one was watching, Cara ducked into an alleyway and a second later, Craig walked back out.
Jewel unlocked and opened the car door when Craig approached. "Are you okay, babe?" she asked, hugging him close.
Craig hugged Jewel back tightly and stayed silent, taking a moment to gather his strength in her arms. When he felt calmer, Craig pulled away from Jewel's embrace and kissed her in greeting. "Better now. Thank you," he said with a warm smile.
"Anytime, babe. Get in and tell us about it. I'll cuddle with you in the back seat," Jewel said, kissing him before sliding into the back seat.
Craig slid in beside her, closing the door.
"Where to?" Grant asked, looking to them in the rear view mirror.
"Somewhere we can park and have some privacy. I'm going to get everyone on a group call; they'll want to hear this," Craig said, taking out his phone and sending a message through the group chat to make sure everyone was available to call.
Zach: Ethan's tied up at the moment, call us in 10 minutes?
Adam: after going to the Sweet Spot, I don't want to know if you mean that literally or not
Zach: ;)
Adam: I hate you
Zach: love you too
Donny: is everything okay, Craig?
Craig: sort of? Ethan was right.
Zach: I'm sure he was, but what about?
Craig: you'll find out in 10 mins, dude
Layla: Warren and I are ready when you are.
Wendy: I'm ready
Honey: so am I :)
Ethan: Okay, Zach and I are ready now.
Craig rang everyone, waiting until they'd all picked up before setting his phone on speaker. "Ethan was right about my Dad embezzling more than the three million."
"Nice work, Eth," Zach said proudly, kissing his cheek.
"How much did he embezzle?" Wendy asked.
"I don't know the final amount. He was definitely embezzling for longer than the last five years, though. He deposited two million in an offshore account in Singapore fifteen years ago. He's been adding to it over the years during business trips."
"Did you get the location of the security deposit box?" Honey asked.
"Yeah, it's in the Montreal Bank of Canada. Not exactly accessible," Craig pointed out.
Honey laughed. "Oh, don't you worry about that, sweetie."
"No, I am going to worry about that; how and what are you doing, Honey? I can't just randomly go to Canada!"
"Why not? It's school holidays, you don't have anywhere else to be, do you?"
"Well, no. But that sort of stuff costs money!"
"You've got to spend money to make money. I suggest you talk to Mr. Phillips," Honey replied.
"Who's Mr. Phillips?" Grant asked with a frown, glancing at Jewel and Craig in the back.
Jewel shrugged.
Craig sighed. "I already spent my portion on the movie theatre stuff. Not that I regret it, but I kinda regret it now."
"I told you not to buy the popcorn machine," Ethan said pointedly.
"It comes with a popcorn topping dispenser."
"And recyclable popcorn bags."
Ethan sighed at Craig and Zach's protests, knowing it was useless to go through this argument again. "Adam, how much are flights to Montreal?"
"Sale price is a hundred return. Same day in and out," Adam added.
"Make it overnight at least; it's less suspicious that way," Warren said.
"All right. One-fifty return, not including a hotel."
"I can sleep in the airport," Craig offered.
"No, that's just as suspicious," Ethan said. "Flights and the closest airport hotel so he has a free shuttle bus there and back."
"One-fifty for flights, one-thirty for the hotel; two-eighty total," Adam said.
"This is a loan, Craig. I expect it back as soon as the money's transferred."
"Understood."
"All right. So how are you getting Craig to Montreal, Honey?" Jewel asked, squeezing his hand firmly.
Honey smiled. "Let me worry about that. Craig, pack a bag for next weekend, it might be a rush to the airport."
"Are we done now? 'Cause there's still a few knots I need to work on," Zach said.
Adam rolled his eyes and promptly hung up.
...
End of the seventy-seventh chapter.
